Rob Tornoe Posts

With Illinois set to become the 15th state nationwide to legalize same-sex marriage, Chicago couple Theresa Volpe and Mercedes Santos finally began planning the wedding they'd started thinking about more than two decades ago.

Bill de Blasio was elected New York City's first Democratic mayor in two decades Tuesday, posting a potentially record landslide victory while running on an unabashedly liberal, tax-the-rich platform that contrasted sharply with billionaire Michael Bloomberg's record during 12 years in office.

One anti-choice organization is having a real good chuckle about the people affected by HB 2, the Texas omnibus anti-abortion law that has forced one-third of the state’s abortion facilities to cease providing abortion procedures.

There is little doubt that the rash of anti-choice measures that flooded the legislative dockets in state capitols in 2013 was a coordinated effort by anti-choice groups and major right-wing donors lurking anonymously behind the facades of the non-profit “social welfare” organizations unleashed to tear up the political landscape, thanks to the high court’s decision in Citizens United.

There is little doubt that the rash of anti-choice measures that flooded the legislative dockets in state capitols in 2013 was a coordinated effort by anti-choice groups and major right-wing donors lurking anonymously behind the facades of the non-profit “social welfare” organizations unleashed to tear up the political landscape, thanks to the high court’s decision in Citizens United.

David Barton’s dishonest and discredited pseudo-history hasn’t stopped him from becoming a star within the Republican Party. Despite the glaring flaws and political bias found in his work, GOP candidates for office consistently seek Barton’s advice, counsel and endorsements.

As they accumulate more and more wealth, the very rich have less need for society. At the same time, they've convinced themselves that they made it on their own, and that contributing to societal needs is unfair to them. There is ample evidence that this small group of takers is giving up on the country that made it possible for them to build huge fortunes.

Starvation, poverty, flooding, heat waves, droughts, war and disease already lead to human tragedies. They're likely to worsen as the world warms from man-made climate change, a leaked draft of an international scientific report forecasts.

The American Dream has always consisted of the idea that hard work would bring great success. It was the idea that anyone could work their way up and acquire a stable career. In order to get to that point it was assumed that you had two options, to go to school or head straight to work.

The American Dream has always consisted of the idea that hard work would bring great success. It was the idea that anyone could work their way up and acquire a stable career. In order to get to that point it was assumed that you had two options, to go to school or head straight to work.

The CEO of TransCanada, the corporation behind the tar sands-carrying Keystone XL, recognized the power of activists in fighting the project but said that even a rejection from the White House won't deter the pipeline from being completed.

To the alarm of environmental groups, oil giant Shell announced on Thursday it was making plans to be able to resume the hunt for oil in Arctic waters in 2014. "Our focus would be very much on the Chukchi [Sea], which is by far the biggest prize; that is the multi-billion barrel prize."

A federal appeals court on Thursday blocked a judge's ruling that found the New York Police Department's stop-and-frisk policy discriminated against minorities, and it took the unusual step of removing her from the case, saying interviews she gave during the trial called her impartiality into question.

Robin Hood and his merry band of economic justice campaigners came to Capitol Hill on Wednesday looking to drum up support among lawmakers for their most contemporary economic policy proposal: a financial transaction tax.

Of the big political issues this year, the battle over reproductive rights has been one of the most bitter. A long list of conservative state legislatures have introduced or passed laws that are expected to lead to the closure of dozens of abortion clinics. These laws have been passed despite a lack of evidence to support them.

McDonald's philanthropic activities have largely been self-serving, allowing the fast-food giant to score massive PR points with limited giving and continued marketing to children, a damning new report reveals.

The fate of gay marriage in Hawaii is in the hands of the state House after smoothly passing in the Senate. A joint House committee involving about half the state's representatives is scheduled for Thursday, with plans to go at least 14 hours with breaks and possibly extending to Friday if enough people want to testify. Officials say about 3,000 people had submitted written testimony by midday Wednesday.

Video

For the past couple of days I’ve been thinking about that video. You know the one that follows a 20-something white woman as she walks around New York City for 10 hours and receives a bunch of commentary and demands from men she doesn’t know. The video is effective.

Bill Nye the Science Guy has no patience with climate deniers like Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), whom he faced off with on a recent segment of CBS’s Meet The Press. Blackburn blithely dismissed his contention that climate change is real. Then Nye stepped in.

As of Thursday morning, there is only one person undergoing treatment for Ebola in the United States, and only two people have contracted the disease in the U.S., both of whom are healthcare workers who survived.